Survival
by TheDomdotCom
Summary: After the Reapers invade Earth, Alliance soldiers Mason Fullen and Brooke Richardson have to fight for their survival against the overwhelming forces that now occupy Earth. Rated T for some language.
1. Chapter 1: Before the Storm

Chapter 1: Before the Storm

**2023 hours, November 23rd, 2186, Vancouver, United North American States, Earth**

Mason Fullen shook the drink in his hand slightly, staring down at it as if the whole thing was on fire. Earth never seemed to change though, rich, beautiful cities in the American states, and polluted slums in other countries. He has never seen such 'diversity' between places on a single world. Frankly, it disgusted him; poverty should've been eradicated a long time ago.

He downed the rest of his drink as his friend, Brooke Richardson, sat down next to him at the bar. She smiled when he turned to look at her, "You look tired, Luis."

He sighed and sat down the empty glass, "Very," he rubbed his eyes a little and then looked back at her, she was still smiling, "The Alliance sure can keep you busy."

"Why do you think I resigned?" she laughed softly and turned to the bartender, "The usual, please."

The bartender nodded and walked away. Brooke returned her gaze back to Mason, "So," she started, "How've you been since you've returned to Earth?"

He thought about the past few months for a minute before answering, "A living hell. I swear if the Alliance didn't give me leave, I'd be going insane right now."

For the past few months he had been trying to locate a Cerberus agent in the Arab states. Whoever this bastard was, he was damn near impossible to find. Mason thoroughly searched every major city on the Arabian Peninsula, nothing.

"And so you come back here for a drink to drown your problems," she mused, "Not exactly the best strategy."

"Works for me," he replied blandly.

She shook her head and frowned, "You could've come to the party, Luis. Emily was asking about you. The Great Lieutenant Fullen, as she put it."

"Great?" he rolled his eyes, "I can't find one man. How could I be 'great'?"

She sighed and patted his back, "Sometimes it's actually harder to find just one man. Trust me, I know from experience."

He laughed, "Yes but I'm not looking for someone to fuck."

She rolled her eyes, "But the strategy is the same."

"Brooke?"

"What?"

"No."

She laughed and took a sip of her drink, "Whatever," she smiled, "You could at least come to the party tomorrow."

"I will," he answered, ordering another drink, "Just don't embarrass me."

"Me? Embarrass you? Of course not!"

He sighed and took a sip of his drink, "I'm going to regret this."

**2230 hours, November 24th, 2186, Brooke's home, Vancouver, United North American States, Earth**

_How does she afford this place? _Mason thought as he walked through the crowds of people in Brooke's apartment. The ceiling was higher than anything he'd seen before; the place looked like it was made for giants. The ultra-modern furniture (complete with a simple black and white color scheme) seemed to dullen the place, that is, if the place wasn't filled with men and women getting drunk and throbbing music playing from a gigantic stereo that could nearly deafen you.

Brooke smiled and hugged Mason, "Glad you could make it!" She yelled over the noise.

"You didn't give me much choice," He replied, "Are your parties always this entertaining?"

"Actually," She smiled, "It's not as entertaining today."

Mason shuddered, "Didn't think you had it in you."

"What? Being a pervert?" She smiled softly, "C'mon, enjoy yourself!"

Mason noticed a women staring at him and Brooke. Brooke smiled and waved her over.

"Who's that?" Mason asked.

"Emily Walker, who else?" Brooke smiled and hugged her.

"So, you're the Mason Fullen I've been hearing so much about," Emily smiled.

"I guess so," he smiled and shook her hand, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Lieutenant," she grinned and turned to Brooke, "Great party!"

"Always is when you're here," She smiled.

A moment later, Mason's Omni-tool beeped, "Excuse me," he said to them, and found a secluded spot in the house where the noise was minimal and then answered the communiqué, "Lieutenant Fullen here."

"Mason, this is Admiral Hackett," an older gentleman replied on the other end of the transmission.

"What do you need, sir?"

"I'm informing you of a situation that has come up. It's about the Reapers."

Mason face turned cold, the Reapers? "Has there been word?"

"Indeed, something big is coming our way; I suggest you get over to the detention center. Lieutenant Vega and you are to get Shepard and bring him before the Defense Committee," Hackett's voice was absolutely serious, it terrified Mason.

"Aye aye, Admiral. When do you want me to get there?"

"Vega is heading there first thing in the morning, meet him then."

"Yes sir," Mason ended the transmission and returned to the party.

Brooke stared at Mason as he came back in, "What's wrong, Luis?"

"Nothing, just an update about the Cerberus agent," Mason lied. He didn't want to alarm them.

"Awww," Emily frowned, "I hope the Alliance isn't taking you away from us."

"Of course not," he smiled.

"I hope not," she winked back.

Brooke groaned, "What have I done?"

**0700 hours, November 25th, 2186, Detention Center, Vancouver, United North American States, Earth**

Lieutenant Vega was the absolute opposite of Mason. He looked like he could take on a Reaper by himself with just his fists. Mason, on the other hand, wasn't an exercise buff, and it showed.

"Mason, good to see ya," Vega shook Mason's hand and walked alongside him in the corridor.

"You too," he replied, "You know why we're getting the Commander?"

"Only that the committee wanted to talk to 'em, to be honest, seems like a waste of time," Vega complained as they approached Shepard's cell.

"I completely agree," Mason replied angrily.

Vega opened the door to Shepard's cell and walked in, saluting, "Commander."

Shepard turned around and shook his head, holding a pad in his hand, "You're not supposed to call me that anymore, James."

Shepard, despite being in detention clothing, still managed to look awesome, his eyes still filled with the determination he was known for. He glanced over at Mason, "Lieutenant."

"Shepard," Mason replied, trying to keep his cool. The Commander was a hero, it was damn near impossible to keep from smiling like a crazed fan.

Vega smirked, "Not supposed to salute you either," he turned to Mason for a second, and then returned his gaze back to Shepard, "We gotta go; the Defense Committee wants to see you."

Shepard tossed the pad onto his desk, "Sounds important," Vega nodded and left the room, Shepard followed shortly behind.

Mason kept his mouth shut as the two talked, "What's goin' on?" Shepard asked.

"Couldn't say, just told me they needed you. Now," Vega replied.

Shepard stopped and noticed a man walking towards them, "Anderson."

"Admiral," Mason and Vega added in unison.

"You look good, Shepard," Anderson smiled and shook Shepard's hand.

The Admiral was definitely a confident man, sometimes Mason wondered why he hasn't retired yet though. The man's been in the Alliance for a too long.

"Maybe a little soft around the edges," Anderson laughed as Shepard felt his stomach nervously, "How're you holding up since being relieved from duty?"

"It's not so bad when you get used to the hot food and soft beds," Shepard replied bluntly.

"We'll get it sorted out," Anderson added.

Shepard looked at Anderson, "What's goin' on? Why is everyone in such a hurry?"

"Admiral Hackett's mobilizing the fleets; I'm guessing word's made it to Alliance Command. Something big is heading our way."

Shepard stopped, "The Reapers?"

Anderson turned around, "We don't know, not for certain."

"What else could it be?"

"If I knew that..." Anderson's voice trailed off.

"You know we're not ready if it is them," Shepard replied, "Not by a long shot."

"Tell that to the Defense Committee," Anderson added.

"Unless we're planning to talk the Reapers to death, the Committee is a waste of time."

"They're just scared; none of them have seen what you've seen. We've all reviewed your reports, seen the data you collected. But it's all just theory to us," Anderson replied, "You've been there, in the trenches, fighting them; you know what they're capable of."

Shepard's face darkened, "That why they grounded me, took away my ship?"

Anderson stopped and turned to Shepard, "You know that's not true. The shit you've done, any other soldier would've been tried, court-martialed and discharged," his face turned serious, "Your knowledge of the Reapers kept that from happening."

"That and your good word?"

Anderson stared at him, "Yeah, I trust you Shepard. And so does the Committee."

Shepard shook his head, "I'm just a soldier, Anderson. I'm no politician."

Anderson turned and started walking again, "I don't need you to be either. I just need you to do whatever the hell it takes to help us stop the Reapers."

They approached the courtroom, a lady in a blue Alliance uniform walked up to them, "They're expecting you two, Admiral."

"Good luck in there, Shepard," Vega said and shook the Commander's hand.

"Anderson," A voice called from behind them, "Shepard?"

Shepard turned around, shocked, "Ashley?"

Ashley smiled and turned back to Anderson, "Lieutenant Commander, how did it go in there?" Anderson asked.

"I can never tell with them," She replied, "I'm just waiting for orders now."

The lady returned, "Admiral," Shepard and Anderson exchanged glances and walked towards the courtroom doors. Shepard and Ashley exchanged glances as he walked past.

Vega and Mason approached her, "You know the Commander?" Mason asked.

"I used to," all three of them watched as the doors slid shut behind Anderson and Shepard.

**0745 hours, November 25th, 2186, Brooke's Home, Vancouver, United North American States, Earth**

Mason sped through the streets of Vancouver and back to Brooke's apartment. If the Reapers have indeed returned, he needed to get her and Emily somewhere safe. He stared as her apartment building came into view, the grey steel glistening in the morning sun. He quickly landed his shuttle in the parking bay and took the elevator up to the 75th floor, where her apartment overlooked a medium-sized park.

Brooke turned to the opening elevator and smiled softly as she noticed Mason. He simply stared at her; his eyes were frightened, nearly desperate. There was no smile on his face. All she could see was fear. His hands quivered, and she thought he might scream. It was enough to quickly cause her smile to fade away.

"What's wrong, Luis?" she asked.

"Is Emily here?" he asked, pacing around the room hurriedly.

"Yeah. Why?" she picked herself up off the couch.

"We need to get you and her somewhere safe. Admiral Hackett has mobilized the fleet; the Alliance believes that the Reapers are here, in Sol."

"What?" she was confused. _Reapers? They are just a myth..._

"It's true, they have Shepard in a meeting right now with the Defense Committee," he replied.

A second later, Emily came out of a bedroom, rubbing her eyes, yawning, "What's goin' on?"

Suddenly there was an explosion somewhere below the apartment, the entire building shook violently. Emily fell against the couch, gasping in pain.

"What the hell is that?" Brooke yelled as she stared out her window. At first she didn't know what it was, but then she noticed strange, almost crab-like, objects floating down from the sky, firing some kind of beam at the ground, destroying buildings and incinerating terrified civilians.

All Emily could do was scream.

"COME ON!" Mason yelled over Emily and grabbed the two girls' hands, pulling them quickly out of the apartment and into the elevator, pushing the button for the shuttle bay.

Emily breathed hard rapidly and was on the verge of hyperventilating when Mason turned and grabbed her by the shoulders, "Breath slowly."

She looked him in the eyes and breathed in deeply before exhaling from the mouth, after a few seconds, she begun to regain control, she gasped, "Thanks."

He nodded and turned around just as the door opened, revealing the waiting shuttles, he slid open the canopy of his and helped Emily and Brooke in, closing the canopy when he took his seat.

He jammed the ignition engine and impatiently took off, heading away from the city.

"What is that?" Mason could hear Brooke ask from the back. He looked up and saw a ship ascending towards the upper atmosphere. In clear black lettering on the side, it said NORMANDY.

"It's Commander Shepard's ship," he replied, smiling, "He's going for help!"

Emily smiled, "Maybe there's hope yet."

"Maybe."

**1800 hours, November 27th, 2186, Los Angeles, United North American States, Earth**

Mason stared down at the Predator pistol in his hand. It was a simple weapon, light, efficient. He smiled as he weighed it in his hand. With this, he was going to make the Reapers pay.

Brooke frowned when she walked into the abandoned cafe the Alliance was using as a headquarters in Los Angeles. It was secluded and didn't attract the Reapers. At most, they only get an occasional husk. She didn't like it when Mason looked at a weapon with longing, as if he really wanted to take the weapon and just shoot the nearest thing. It scared her. She understood why he felt like that though; the Reapers had taken everything away from them, their homes, families, and friends. Emily and Mason were the only friends she had left.

Mason took his gaze off the pistol and looked up at Brooke, smiling, "Hey."

"Hey," she replied softly, sitting down next to him, "Anderson told me you'd be here."

"Yeah, had some thinking to do," he replied, setting the pistol on the stained-yellow table in front of them.

"We all do," she whispered, "It isn't easy being here..."

"It never will be," he replied, turning his head to look out the window at the piles of ash and rubble that laid everywhere, civilians and soldiers rummaging through the debris for anything useful.

"We have to stay strong," Emily added, Mason and Brooke turn to see her standing in the back doorway, which led out to a alley where many soldiers have set up mattresses for those who wished for refuge here. She yawned and sat down at the table.

"We will be," a low voice called, Anderson came into view and sat down with them.

"Admiral," Mason saluted, the Admiral simply waved it off.

"No need for pleasantries, Mason. We're all in the same boat now. Just call me Anderson."

Mason nodded and took out a deck of cards, "Anyone up for a game?"

Emily smiled and nodded. Mason, even though the world was going to Hell, was still able to cheer everyone up.

Anderson laughed, "One game," he replied, "Then I got to get back to the soldiers."

After a few hours of playing a game of poker, Mason stretched and then sat on his mattress, staring up at the sky. For a world under siege by a superior force, the sky was completely clear; Luna hovered over the horizon, slightly burning orange as the Reapers laid waste to its cities.

Mason turned his head quickly as he heard a piece of glass crack on the ground, he relaxed as he saw Brooke standing over him, "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry," she whispered and sat down on the mattress.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

"I can't sleep," she replied, looking him in the eye. He's seen that look before, she was afraid that she'd not wake up again.

"I promise you, you'll be alive tomorrow, I'll make sure of that," he hugged her softly.

She smiled, "Thanks, Mason," she hugged him back and looked at the other soldiers sleeping on their beds, "For a world being ravaged by giant machines, these soldiers are so... calm."

"They know the risks. They know that they must be strong to win."

"But what if being strong is not enough?"

Mason looked at her in the eyes, "Then we die together fighting for our home."

She stared down at the dirty ground and frowned, "I don't want to die."

He held her hand in his, staring at her, "Neither do I."

She smiled and hugged him again. In the distance, there was a screech as one of the Reapers destroyed Downtown. She ignored it. Silently, she vowed that she would make the Reapers pay for what they've done.

"I... I better go see how Emily's doing. Thanks Mason," she picked herself up off his mattress and walked away.

"You're welcome."


	2. Chapter 2: Armaments

**Chapter 2: Armaments**

**1323 hours, November 28th, 2186, Temporary HQ, Los Angeles, United North American States, Earth**

Mason looked down at the map of Los Angeles being projected from his Omni-tool, "This is the armory depot here, just outside the old Downtown."

"How equipped is it?" Anderson asked, examining the map carefully.

"Best weapon depot on this side of the continent," he replied and pointed towards a Reaper on the map, "It's a Destroyer class, still ravaging the area, blocking off our route to the depot..."

"So we fight our way in," Brooke added, crossing her arms.

"Only way we're getting to those weapons," he replied, deactivating his Omni-tool.

"I'll make sure everyone is ready. We'll leave at 1400 hours," Anderson turned and started talking to a group of soldiers.

"Aye sir."

"A Reaper... unbelievable," Brooke shook her head.

Mason raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"How the hell are we gonna get by that thing?" she asked, "We're barely equipped as it is to take on a small group of husks, let alone a massive Reaper."

He sighed and stared at the ground, "We don't have a choice."

She nodded slowly and patted his back, "C'mon, I believe we got a Reaper to sneak past."

**1425 hours, November 28th, 2186, Downtown, Los Angeles, United North American States, Earth**

Emily tried not to stare at the Reaper destroying the city that she once called home a few years ago. She had a deep feeling that looking at the monstrosity would make it aware of their presence. She glanced at Brooke, who nodded and hopped out of the grey van they had taken.

Everyone silently ran into an alleyway between two half-destroyed skyscrapers, killing any husks they found in their way. Mason gestured for the squad to move forward and looked at Anderson, "We can't stop for anything, and if that thing sees us... we're done for."

Anderson nodded and followed the soldiers, Mason and Emily followed shortly behind, Brooke ahead of the entire group.

They ran across the debris-laden street and behind another pair of skyscrapers, it was now a straight line to the other side of the district, sadly the Reaper was right in the middle of the path. They took cover behind a pile of cement and rested for a bit. A moment later, they ran out of cover and sprinted across the alleyway.

The Reaper turned slightly and looked down at the humans. It then turned again and fired a beam at a shuttle filled with civilians trying to escape the Reaper's wrath; it was too late. It caught fire quickly and plummeted towards the ground, exploding upon contact with the unforgiving street.

Emily gritted her teeth as they continued to run. They ran until they reached the street where the U.S. Bank Tower used to be. Mason continued running but jumped back as a skyscraper came crashing down on top of what was left of the Bank Tower.

"Holy-," he ran back as fast as he could, but was thrown off his feet as the shockwave blew past him. Anderson grabbed him quickly and brought him behind cover.

"You're gonna get yourself killed, Lieutenant," he mumbled to Mason.

Mason looked back and smirked, "Is everyone alright?"

The majority of the soldiers just nodded their heads, "No bones are broken... yet," Emily added.

Brooke rolled her eyes and helped everyone back onto their feet. Anderson peeked out of their cover to look at the damage and cursed loudly.

"What?" Mason asked quickly.

"Look for yourself," he replied. Mason looked up above the fallen pillar and stared... the skyscraper had cut off their path completely, no way to get past the debris from ground level.

He turned back to Anderson, "Is there any other way?"

"Not on the ground, and we'll be shot down if we tried to take speeders."

"Shit," Mason banged his head against the pillar, hard.

After nearly giving himself a concussion, Mason smiled, "Those windows, they're not bullet-proof right?"

Anderson squinted at the building, "I can't tell if they're reinforced. You're not thinking about going through it are you?"

"Indeed I am," he stood up and quickly walked to the fallen skyscraper.

"Mason you must be insane, the building could collapse on us," Brooke yelled at him.

"It's either be crushed or incinerated," he fired a shot at a window close to the ground, it shattered quickly.

Mason peered in, "Looks stable, let's go."

Anderson sighed and signaled his men to follow Mason into the building. Though being confused since they were walking on the wall, they carefully moved through the dark rooms, looking out for any husks that might've been in the building when it fell, so far it was empty.

Mason stopped when he noticed a door beneath them; a metal sign stapled to the door. He leaned down to look at the sign. Inscribed on it in bold lettering was 'President Nick Huisman, CEO'.

Mason tried at the door handle, it was locked, "Someone's in here," he mused.

Anderson activated his Omni-Tool, "And miraculously alive."

Mason pulled out his pistol, and with a flash of red light, broke the door's handle. With a soft push, the door opened. Anderson projected a light into the room with his Omni-Tool. A man was slumped in the corner, holding his side, which was covered with red blood; his brown business suit did nothing to hide the crimson. A desk sat against the wall a few meters away. He had gotten lucky; the desk could've landed on top of him.

Emily jumped down into the room and ran over to him, and then scanned over his wounds with her Omni-Tool, "He has some internal bleeding and a mild concussion."

Brooke dropped down and helped the man up. Mason and Anderson pulled him out, the entire time, the man winced in pain. Mason activated his Omni-Tool and applied some Medi-Gel on the man's injuries. The man relaxed as the effects of the gel washed over him.

"Who are you?" Anderson asked when the man opened his eyes.

"Nick Huisman... what happened?"

"The building collapsed," Mason replied, helping Nick onto his feet, "C'mon, I don't know how longer till interior collapses in."

Nick nodded and followed Anderson. Mason sat down on his knees and helped Emily and Brooke out of the room. Quietly they cross to the other side of the skyscraper and climb out of another window. The Reaper was still ravaging the city half a mile away.

Nick's injuries were surely going to slow them down, but hopefully with luck, they could reach the other side of Downtown without any problems. Mason skillfully used side alleys and stumps of skyscrapers to avoid being seen. From here, it felt as if you could almost touch the Reaper, and feel its presence as it shrieks. It was enough to make Nick's skin crawl.

They ran until their legs were burning, exhaustion soon decided to set in. Mason stopped at an intersection, just beyond was the armory, and the Reaper. He quickly examined the street when suddenly the Reaper's massive leg crashed down on top of the asphalt, sending chunks of concrete flying in every direction. The power of it sent two soldiers falling onto their backs, and the others stepped back, terrified.

Mason looked up as the Reaper turned its eye to look at them, staring directly at Mason, who stood up and stared back, clenching his fists. He wasn't about to back down.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emily hissed from behind a fallen tree.

Mason didn't answer. He couldn't take his eyes off of the machine. It was beautiful, in a terrifying way, sleek, powerful, and deadly. For a moment the world seemed to fade away, and Emily (who continued to urge him to get the hell back to them) continued to yell, but it was only white noise compared to the Reaper.

"_You are not afraid,"_ a voice boomed in his head. Mason continued to stare, intrigued. He started walking towards the machine's leg, reaching out his hand to touch it. Brooke couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up, ran to him, and grabbed his hand, pulling him back to the others.

He finally broke eye contact with the Reaper and looked at Brooke, who was yelling at him, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, MASON?"

"Wha-?" He rubbed his forehead, "What happened?"

She shook her head, and hugged him, "Don't do that again."

"There's no way we're getting past that thing," Anderson said lowly as he took a glance up at the Reaper.

"Maybe we can," Nick added softly from where he laid against the tree, he picked himself up and walked over to Anderson, "Good luck, sir."

"What are you-?" before Anderson could finish, Nick ran down the street, in almost a full sprint. It was enough to get the Reaper's attention.

The machine's leg lifted as it followed Nick. The business man, who spent more of his life counting credits than exercising in a gym, was surprisingly fast and dodged five blasts from the Reaper's eye before being incinerated. Emily let her head drop to her knees as she saw him dissapear. She cried softly.

After a moment of silence, Mason stood up, "C'mon, he's given us a chance to get across."

Quickly they stormed across the street and burst into the armory. Even in here, the Reaper's presence was intensely strong, almost palpable.

Anderson quickly blurted out orders as the soldiers took every weapon they could hold and strap to their backs. The Alliance weren't kidding when they said that this armory was the best. After several minutes they were armed to the teeth with weapons.

When they finally went back outside, Mason noticed the Reaper had moved, and was now destroying a neighborhood a few miles away. He let out a breath he had been holding for a few minutes, and turned to look back towards the way they had come. Everyone ran back through the alleyways, killing several waves of husks. After twenty minutes, they were back in the van, on their way back to the base.

**2100 hours, November 28th, 2186, Temporary HQ, Los Angeles, United North American States, Earth**

Everyone skulked about the base that night. Nick's sacrifice caught everyone in a bad mood, Mason especially. The moment they got back, he went straight to his mattress and stared up at the red, smoky sky. He felt somewhat responsible for Nick's death, like his dazed self could've done something, _anything_, to save him.

Around 2000 hours, Brooke checked on Mason. She couldn't bring herself to interrupt him just staring up at the stars, lost in thought. An hour later, she sat down next to him, "Louis."

Mason looked down at her, "Yeah?"

"You okay?"

He hesitated for a moment, "I just wish I could've saved him."

"We all do, Mason," she replied, sitting down next to him, turning her gaze towards the stars as well.

"I... I blacked out, and nearly got us killed."

"You couldn't help it," she replied, "It was staring right at you. Anderson suspects it was attempting to indoctrinate you."

"I think it was... I heard his voice in my head, and suddenly I felt this urge to touch it, to feel it..." he laid back and rolled his head to the side, looking at the ground.

She didn't say anything at first, "I'm sorry, Louis."

"I'm alright aren't I?" he replied and turned back to her.

She smiled, "In perfect health."

"And one Reaper won't change that."

She smiled again and sat up, "C'mon, Anderson is cooking up one of his famous dinners."

He laughed, "Famous? It's soup."

She looked at him happily, "Be grateful that you're getting anything, Lieutenant."

"So we're calling each other by rank now, eh?" He laughed as she winked at him. They both got up and walked into the cafe.

"Just in time," Anderson laughed cheerfully as they sit down at the table.

"She coaxed me out of bed," he laughed back and grabbed a spoon from the kitchen.

"Wasn't that hard, really," she laughed.

"Only with Mason," Emily added and sipped on her soup.

Brooke eyed her and laughed, "Shush."

She winked at Brooke. They all laughed loudly. For a moment, it felt like there wasn't a war going on anymore. The relief that they could joke about and enjoy each other's company was reassuring. The Reapers took everything away from them, but not this. They'll have to try much harder than that.

The soup wasn't good, far from it, but it filled their stomachs and that's all that mattered. After they finished their meals, everyone played poker, laughing, and talking about their old lives and family. In such a tight-knit group, secrets were hard to keep. By the end of the first game, hardly any secrets were left untold.

Around 2330 hours, everyone crawled away from the table to their beds, half of them asleep by the time they put their heads down. Mason and Brooke were the only ones still up by midnight, taking inventory of their new weapons.

"We have enough explosives here to take out a while city," Mason smiled and examined a grenade launcher, retracting the various parts of the weapon, watching as it grew to its full size.

"Just don't use it all in one place," she laughed as he raised an eyebrow.

"No worries," he smiled, "I'll make them last."

She smiled back, "We'll give the Reapers hell, then."

He winks at her, "That's the plan."


	3. Chapter 3: Discovered

**A/N: If you've been reading to this point, thank you xD I certainly hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. And write some reviews so I know if this story is actually turning out any good xD Some constructive criticisms will make it even better :) Anyway (I haven't said this yet either) as most of you should know, the Mass Effect universe, characters, etc. (except of course: Mason, Emily, and Brooke) belong to Bioware and all the rights to their game's storyline belongs to them. Only time I'm gonna say that so yeah. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter :)**

**Chapter 3: Discovered**

**0900 hours, November 30th, 2186, Temporary HQ, Los Angeles, United North American States, Earth**

"Mason."

Mason stirred and looked up, bleary eyed as the bright light that was the doorway blinded him, "Wha-?"

"Get up!" Light shined on Brooke's face as she leaned down next to his mattress.

He rolled over, "Five more minutes."

"Gah, you're impossible!" Brooke yelled at him playfully and threw a rubber ball at him.

Mason smiled and caught the ball as he turned back towards her, "That's my job."

"Give it back!" She darted towards him as he got out of the bed.

He held the ball up high and smirked, "Gotta get it first."

"Guys," a voice called from the doorway. They turned to see Emily, her arms crossed, "Immature much?"

Brooke laughed as Mason gave her back the ball, "Not at all."

"Anderson said he wanted to talk to you, Mason," Emily laughed, "Should distract you long enough for Brooke to escape."

Mason nodded and left, Brooke glanced over at Emily, just in time to catch a venomous look before it changed, and smiled. Emily's face remained neutral, "What?"

"Nothing," Emily turned and left.

Brooke raised her eyebrow and sat on the mattress behind her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Meanwhile, Mason approached Anderson, who looked up from the table when he heard him coming.

"You wanted something?" Mason asked as he sat down at the table.

"Yeah, I think we got a problem," Anderson replied, activating his Omni-Tool.

"What?"

The map scrolled over to a suburban several miles away, "An army of husks is heading this way, along with a Reaper... It's the same one from Downtown."

For a brief moment, the Reaper's voice echoed in his mind, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, "They've found us?" Mason examined the map closely, watching as little red dots cross streets and intersections.

"Don't know for certain, but why else would they get such an army to head out here? We haven't seen any other survivors around."

Mason cursed under his breath, "So what do we do?"

"We evacuate. Can you take Brooke and Emily and go evacuate the hotel down the street? The civilians would most likely panic without help," he turned off his Omni-Tool.

"We'll go now," Mason replied.

"Good, let's get them out of here before the fighting starts," Mason nodded and went back to the back room, Brooke still on the mattress.

"What's goin' on?" she asked as she picked herself up off the bed.

"We gotta evacuate, our orders are to help the civilians," he grabbed his assault rifle, "You ready?"

She grabbed her SMG, "Whenever you are."

* * *

><p>Nicolas Baker stared at his surroundings carefully, looked like this hotel certainly was magnificent before the Reapers attacked. Beautiful chandeliers hung on metal chains embedded into the beige-painted ceiling, not to mention the designer carpeting that spanned through the lobby and hallways. He felt a twinge of guilt. He was practically living in the lap of luxury as the soldiers protecting him slept on mattresses on the floor of some cafe. He turned to look at the swivel door at the end of the lobby as two women and a man walked in, all three were dressed in blue military garb.<p>

"May I help you, sir?" he asked politely and picked himself out of the designer chair he had been sitting in for hours.

The man was the first to speak, "We're evacuating. Can you get everyone ready to move?"

"Yes sir... what's goin' on?" Nicolas' eyes darted towards the door.

"The Reapers have found us," Brooke replied, a frown itching its way onto her face.

He nodded and turned back towards the hotel rooms, "We'll be ready to go in ten minutes."

Mason nodded back, "Good luck," he added and walked back out onto the street, Emily and Brooke following shortly behind.

Brooke looked intently at Mason's face as he sat down on a piece of rubble, his eyes seemed distant, even for him, "What's wrong?"

At first he didn't answer, "Huh? Oh, nothing..."

She sat down next to him, "Tell me."

He sighed, "I can hear it. The Reaper..." He looked at her in the eyes, "I hear it hunting for us."

Emily crossed her arms underneath her chest, "That isn't usual behavior for indoctrination..."

Mason got back up on his feet, "I don't suppose so," he grabs his rifle, "But nothing is usual about this situation anyway."

They turned when they heard Nicolas come out onto the street, a bag in his hand, "We're ready to go, Lieutenant."

"Good, quickly get over to the cafe. Emily, go with them," He pointed towards the cafe down the street, "Me and Brooke will scout ahead and try to find a route out of here."

"Aye. Sir," She reluctantly followed the civilians back to the cafe, only twice did she actually look where she was going.

* * *

><p>Mason turned to Brooke, "Alright, let's go," she nodded in response.<p>

Anderson stared as Emily stormed into the cafe, tossing her rifle onto the table and taking a seat. She was obviously, and unquestionably pissed off. He sighed under his breath and sat down next to her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she dismissed him quickly.

"You come in here acting pissed off, there's definitely something wrong."

She glared at him for a few seconds before breaking eye contact, "It's... Brooke and Mason."

"What about them?"

"They just ran off together to God knows where! If they want to go and make out they could at least make it less obvious," her entire face twisted red with anger, for a moment, Anderson felt that she would lash out at him instead of Brooke or Mason.

"I gave them orders to scout ahead, Emily. They're not just going off to 'make out'."

"You say that now, but I know what's going on in that mind of hers, she's my best friend!"

Anderson couldn't help but rest his head in the palm of his hand, "Look. I understand that you have feelings for Mason, and I wouldn't doubt that she does too but leave this problem here for now, we can't afford to be distracted."

Emily sighed loudly, "Fine. I'll go twiddle my thumbs until we're ready to go. Goodbye, Admiral."

She got up to walk out, Anderson quickly yelled her name and she turned to look at him, "You may be pissed off, but I'm still an Admiral. Don't talk like that to me ever again, understood?" She nodded and left without a word.

A few hundred meters away, Mason and Brooke pulled large chunks of rubble out of a dark alley, after they cleared out most of the debris. Mason examined the route just beyond, "Seems to be the best way out."

"Let's get back to the cafe, we need to get the civilians out of here quickly," she replied, moving one last piece of rubble out of the alleyway.

"Aye," they both quickly raced back.

Out of breath, Mason went inside and approached Anderson, who still sat at the table, "We cleared a path."

"Good, get those civvies out of here, we'll handle any husks that show up behind you," he stood up quickly and grabbed his rifle.

Mason nodded and followed him outside, "Brooke, Emily, with me. Nicolas, get everyone to that alley, we'll cover you."

Nicolas nodded and relayed the orders to the civilians, Brooke and Emily taking up positions around them, and, thankfully to Emily, she was out of sight of Brooke. The venomous look that had dominated her face would frighten even a Reaper.

Mason quickly guided them into the alley, picking up a child in his left arm as he continued to hold his rifle with his right hand. The area looked clear, the Reapers haven't arrived yet. _Thank God. _Mason thought quietly as they turned the corner onto the next street.

Several of the civilians lagged behind the others, and Emily tried to encourage them and help to get them caught up. Another alleyway. They quickly turned and paced through it. Mason was the first one to reach the other side, lowering the boy down to the ground.

Suddenly an explosion knocked him off his feet and tossed him into the brick wall behind him. He fell to the ground with a thud and gasped with pain. Quickly he opened his eyes and saw several squads of husks staring back at him.

He didn't even have to think to realize what was going on.

"RUN!"

Suddenly chaos ensued, the civilians ran as if the devil himself was chasing them. They desperately ran towards the next alleyway, but not before a third of them were gunned down. Mason, Emily, and Brooke fired all they had at the husks. Firing. Unloading. Loading. Firing again. It became a routine as they shimmed towards the alleyway the civvies ran into, using any cover they could get.

They decimated what seemed like hundreds of squads of the zombie-like husks before they reached the alley, running as fast as they could to catch up with the frightened civilians.

The husks were right on their tail.

They reached the end of the alley, and took cover behind the walls of the two buildings, Mason looked at Brooke, "Stay here and keep shooting them, cover the civvies," He looked back at the husks at the other end of the alleyway, "This is a perfect chokepoint, I'll radio when we're clear of the next alley."

Brooke nodded, and behind her, Emily followed suit, a twinge of anger on her face. Mason said his goodbyes and ran off after the civilians, Brooke quickly rolled across the way onto the other side of the alley, taking cover behind the opposite wall.

They unloaded several rounds of sinks into the incoming army, but they kept on coming. Brooke cursed under her breath and turned to Emily, "We can't hold this position for much longer."

Tossing a grenade into the alley, Emily replied, "You think?"

They held the line for several more minutes before Emily opened her mouth, "So... Mason... And you..."

Brooke sighed as her face lit up from the laser fire from her weapon, "Can we talk about this later?" she asked, annoyed, as she jammed a heat sink into her rifle.

"No, we talk about this now."

Brooke quickly took out her Omni-Tool and stabbed a charging cannibal, "This isn't exactly a good time."

"You like him don't you," she replied and killed another squad of husks with a quick volley.

After unloading a clip, Brooke stayed in cover, looking at Emily, "Yes, I do."

The look Emily gave her nearly melted her away, for a moment, she was unsure if Emily was going to kill her or the husks, but she went back to killing the zombies. Brooke knew that they were really the only ones keeping her alive.

"I'm sorry, Emily."

She didn't answer and kept unloading her clips into the husks.

"I'm-," Before Brooke could finish her sentence, Emily lashed out at her, clocking her right in the jaw with enough force to knock her to the ground. Like lightning, Emily pounced onto her, attacking her with her fists brutally.

Brooke fought back in a desperate attempt to protect herself. This was her best friend that was trying to kill her... It just didn't feel right. After they both received several jabs from the other, a husk pulled Emily off of Brooke. She fought back but the husk was too strong, it trained its weapon and shot her in the forehead, instantly killing her. Brooke screamed.

Quickly she lashed out for her weapon and shot the husk and scrambled to her feet, running as fast as she could. The husks ran after her, but she was faster. When she passed through the next alleyway, she felt a tear roll down her eye... _No... Not Emily..._

* * *

><p>Mason caught up with the frightened civilians at the next alleyway. All of them were still panicked. Nicolas tried to calm them down, turning towards Mason as he approached, "Are they still coming after us?"<p>

"Emily and Brooke are holding them off back at the other alley. Let's get you guys somewhere safe."

Nicolas nodded in response and turned to the civilians, asking over his shoulder, "Where are we going?"

Mason quickly took a scan of the area with his Omni-Tool. The next street was rather unimpressive, nothing worth noting, a grocery store here, a shuttle depot there, but something caught his eye, a subway. He zoomed in on the subway station and turned to Nicolas, "This looks like a good place to hide."

Nicolas nodded in agreement, "I'll get them there, Lieutenant. Maybe you should wait for your friends."

Mason was hesitant for a moment, but finally he nodded, "Okay. Get them out of here. Oh, and take this," he handed him the Predator pistol that he had been messing with several days before.

Nicolas held the weapon in his hand, weighing it, and nodded, "Good luck, Mason."

"You too," he leaned against the wall behind him and waited. After a few minutes, he heard a scream in the distance... It was Brooke's voice.

_Shit._

He ran back the way they came, and saw Brooke sprinting towards him, several squads of husks right behind.

He quickly lifted his rifle and gunned down several of the husks and Brooke ran and hid behind him, like a frightened child. He finished off the remaining squads and turned to look at her. That's when he realized she was sobbing, and...

"Brooke, where's Emily?" His voice cracked for a second.

She hugged him tightly before regaining control, "She's... They killed her, Mason."

_My God... _"C'mon, there's bound to be more on the way," he grabbed her hand and they quickly ran down the alleyway that led to the subway station.

Nicolas peeked out just as they came into sight of the station, he smiled softly. They all ducked into the subway station. Mason quickly checked to make sure everyone was alright, and then his eyes moved to look at the boy he was carrying earlier, besides having a scrape on his knee, he was just fine.

A second later, Mason took out his Omni-Tool, and contacted Anderson. _Please God let him pick up..._

"Anderson here," Mason gasped with relief.

"We've gotten the civvies to safety, how are you and the other soldiers?"

"We're a few minutes away from your position, got into a little firefight with a small battalion of husks but we're alright."

"Alright, see you guys when you get here," he ended the transmission and turned to Brooke.

A tremor shook the station, just enough to cause Brooke to trip into a pillar. She winced but shook the pain off, "What the hell was that?"

Mason stiffened, "It's here."

"What? The Reaper?"

He nodded.

Her eyes grew wide.

They both ran to the entrance of the subway and scanned the area with their eyes. There it was, crawling its way to them, demolishing buildings as if they were made of cheese. Mason heard its thoughts, like a whisper drowned out by white noise. For a second, he cocked his head to the side, as if trying to analyze the barely audible whisper. Brooke shook him, quickly pulling him back to reality.

"Get the civilians deeper in the subway, they'll be protected down in the tunnel," he ordered her; she nodded slowly and went back inside.

He stared up at the Reaper, it was about a hundred or two hundred meters away, but its presence was terrifyingly intense nevertheless.

"Damn it Anderson, where the hell are you?"


	4. Chapter 4: New York

Chapter 4: New York

**1123 hours, November 30th, 2186, Los Angeles, United North American States, Earth**

Anderson ducked behind cover as he approached Mason's position, unfortunately the Reaper was nearly on top of them by now and its presence terrified his entire team. _How much I would pay to have Shepard here right now._

He pulled his Mattock assault rifle off his back as he peeked around the corner. First thing he noticed was the subway station and Mason ducking back into it hurriedly.

He turned back to his officers, "Don't let that thing see you, unless you want to be barbequed."

He didn't even have to say it twice. One by one, they crossed the street to the subway station, using cars and rubble as cover. Anderson caught a couple of glimpses of the enormous Reaper as they ducked down into the subway.

"Anderson," Mason smiled joyfully as he shook the Admiral's hand.

"How many made it here?" Anderson asked, examining the civilians, who looked completely exhausted.

"Over a third were killed trying to escape the husks," he lowered his head, "And we lost Emily."

"I'm sorry," he patted his shoulder softly. "She cared about you, Mason."

"I figured she did," Mason replied and turned to Brooke, smiling, "At least you got back safe."

She nodded back, her face wet from tears. Anderson returned his gaze back to Mason, "We need to get the hell out of here."

"We haven't really had time to look for an escape route, that Reaper would incinerate us if it even sees even a hint of movement," Mason deadpanned.

"What about the tunnels?" Anderson added, taking a glance at the pitch-black tunnels on both sides of the station just beyond a pair of columns.

"Collapsed, most likely they have been for decades. These tunnels were used back in the early 21st century," Brooke replied, smiling nervously, "Sorry," she laughed, "Used to love 21st Century technology."

Anderson laughed and turned back to Mason, "Any ideas?"

"I noticed a shuttle depot down the street. If we could get to it, we can take the sky-cars and get the hell out of here."

Anderson shrugged, "Let's do it."

Mason peeked out of the subway entrance and examined their surroundings carefully. The Reaper loomed up above them several hundred meters away like a vulture waiting for its prey.

Anderson pulled him back into cover, and looked out for himself, frowning as he turned to the young marine, "Any ideas?"

Mason laughed, "Besides running?"

"Besides running."

"Running even faster," he whispered quietly.

"You're kidding right?"

Mason laughed. "No." he quickly pointed at the shuttle depot down the street, "Its right there, only way we're getting there is by running. And… More than likely we're gonna get gunned down…"

Anderson sighed and sat down against the crumbling wall, "This isn't going to be easy."

Mason raised an eyebrow and turned to look at his superior, "With all due respect sir, nothing has been easy since the invasion began."

"Alright, alright," he replied. "Let's do this then."

Mason smiled and turned to Brooke, who stood just inside the entrance doorway; she nodded and went inside to gather the civilians. Silently they all filed out of the subway and ran across the street. Mason and Anderson took point while Nicolas and Brooke lingered behind the civilians, the other marine forming together on the sides. The Reaper took notice almost immediately as they hit the street, incinerating several marines and civilians before the group could make it halfway across.

The remaining civilians and what was left of the marines desperately ran into the depot while Anderson barked out orders amidst the chaos, "Everyone get in a sky-car and head towards the outskirts of town!"

Only a few seconds had passed before several of the sky-cars were activated and flown out of the depot. Mason turned and smiled. A white UT-47 Kodiak sat in the center of the room.

Quickly he opened the shuttle's hatch and climbed in, activating the engines. He peered out at Anderson and shouted, "Found ourselves a ride!"

Brooke grinned and took up the pilot's seat, and Mason followed her, taking co-pilot. Anderson closed the hatch as the last civilians took off in a sky-car, taking a seat in the back. He shifted slightly as the Kodiak lifted from the ground and turned to fly out of the narrow slits that allow shuttles and sky-cars to exit the depot.

"Damn it." Mason muttered as he stared down at the sensor readings, "The Reaper shot down five of the sky-cars, twenty people, including Nicolas."

"We'll mourn them later. Right now, let's get the hell out of here." Anderson replied as he entered the cockpit.

"Aye."

Brooke skillfully dodged several blasts from the Reaper, ignoring the screeching, deafening, noise that it emitted. Her palms were sweating, and for a moment, she was almost certain that their demise would happen in the next couple of seconds.

She held onto her seat as the noise grew louder and louder, almost loud enough to burst her eardrums.

Then…

Nothing happened.

She grinned and looked over Mason's shoulder at the sensors. The Reaper had turned away and was attacking something on the ground.

"That takes care of that." Anderson muttered and held onto a railing as turbulence bounced them around.

"Four other sky-cars made it out of the city, Admiral. One is carrying a squad of our marines. The others weren't so fortunate." Mason reported in near perfect monotone, flicking his fingers across the haptic interface in front of him.

"Damn… Send a message to the other sky-cars, tell them we'll rendezvous in San Diego before heading to New York."

Mason's fingers flew quickly over the interface, and after a brief moment, turned back to Anderson, "Done. Let's get this thing back to dry land."

**1400 hours, December 2nd, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

The campfire continuously burned as the rest of the city glowed brightly around it. Strangely this patch of green amidst the sea of crumbling structures was left unscathed by the war just beyond its gates. To nature it was just a patch of grass and trees, but to its inhabitants, it's a sanctuary from their enemy. The Reapers didn't care about the park, nor did they ever see any activity within, the marines and civilians that remained alive after the initial attack in New York City made sure of that. Fires were to be burned carefully, smoke and light must be kept to a minimal. And tents had to be set up below rock faces and trees, out of sight of the towering Reapers.

Mason's smile grew as he sipped on a cold beer that one of the inhabitants had given him. After nine days of hell fighting against the Reapers with everything they had able to get their hands on, the coldness of the beer soothed his throat as if it was a gift from the Heavens, of course that didn't stop him from getting a buzz after a couple of drinks. He ignored it and grinned happily when Brooke sat down next to him, twiddling her fingers and staring into the small fire. He read her mind almost instantly.

"You can't blame yourself for her death." He whispered to her.

She slowly turned her head to look at him. She examined his face carefully, then stared into his eyes, "She's my best friend, and it's because of me that she's dead." She looked away sadly.

He refrained from cocking an eyebrow, "What makes you sure that it was because of you?"

A tear fell out of her eye as she looked down at the green grass beneath them, "We were fighting… about you."

His mouth nearly went slack, "Why?"

"She liked you and she thought me and you were… involved," she replied, looking down at the ground, "Sometimes I wish she was right…"

He looked away for a moment, thinking back to the past couple of years they've known each other. In 2179, Mason had only just enlisted to join the Alliance on his 19th birthday, the same day, he had met Brooke, who had enlisted a few months earlier. They were, of course, much younger back then and were hardly prepared for the horrors of the military but they had quickly become friends after they were assigned onto the same ship, the _Andraste_. They fought together for four years before they were assigned to be on the _Normandy_, shortly after the stealth ship was destroyed, Brooke resigned from the Alliance and rented an apartment on the Citadel. He never thought about a romantic relationship between them back then, mainly due to the fact that back then, everything was perfect. No Reapers. No Collectors. No galactic war. But now… now the whole universe is going to hell… Maybe… Just maybe…

"Me too," he replied softly, smiling at her, "Don't blame yourself, Brooke. She let her guard down to fight you, it was her fault she was killed."

"It's… It's just… I've known her for nine years, and she's always been there for me, and now, she's gone. Dead. We had gone through so much together, pledged to protect each other, and keep each others secrets. Now she's gone…" More tears poured down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, hoping to calm her, "I'm sorry, Brooke. I'm truly sorry…"

"And you know what's worse? We had been living a lie together, from everyone," she stopped crying and looked at him, her eyes slightly red.

He hesitated for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"Mason. I'm a biotic."

After a second, he cocked his head to the side, "You kept that secret?"

"I wanted to. My parents forced me into it when I was 15 and sent me off to Grissom Academy when I was 16. I had no say in it at all. I was so angry at them for forcing me into it. You know what I wanted to do when I grew up? Be an artist. Not a soldier. But they ruined that for me when they gave me the ability to use Biotics. I pledged to never use it again unless the situation demands it," she relaxed her shoulders slightly and slightly leaned against him.

"I understand that you'd want to hide it, but why don't you use it? Especially now?"

"It's a gift I didn't want, Mason. I'd feel guilty using it now just because the situation has changed."

He frowned, "Okay. I understand. What happened at Grissom Academy while you were there anyway?"

She brushed her hair out of her face and smiled, "I met Emily there the first day. She was very protective over me when the other kids tried to stick me to the wall," she smiled, "I, of course, had a hard time getting used to using Biotics, I could hardly keep a singularity from dissipating," she laughed softly, "Emily taught me more than even the instructors could. She was a natural at it," she continued to stare into the fire, the light danced in her eyes.

"Sounds like she was the best," he replied.

"She was…"

**1300 hours, October 12****th****, 2177, Grissom Academy, Vetrus, Petra Nebula**

Grissom Academy teemed with activity as new students arrived at the school. Kids from the ages of ten to twenty-five bustled about, smiling as they got re-acquainted with old friends and met new ones.

A young girl stepped off the transport and examined her surroundings. The white walls didn't seem all too inviting, more like a lab than a school. But she couldn't really complain, despite the fact she didn't want to be here in the first a moment, she followed the crowd of students until she entered a cafeteria packed with even more kids.

She sat down and pulled out a datapad that contained a note her mother had left her. She read it to herself silently for the two-hundreth time since she had left the Sol System.

_Dear Brooke,_

_I know you didn't want to go to Grissom Academy, but you'll enjoy yourself, you'll see! We'll see you in June! Good luck honey!_

_Love,_

_Your Mum_

Oh yeah, she definitely didn't want to be her alright. Hell if she had had her way, she would be at home, still painting. She sighed and put the datapad back into her backpack.

"So, you're the new girl, aren't ya?" a voice called from the other side of the table she had sat down at. Brooke turned and looked at the voice. It was a girl, much older then her. She had tattoos on her arm that just screamed 'thug'.

After a moment, she replied, "Yeah. Just off the transport."

"Best watch your back kid, some people don't take too kindly to new kids," she replied and stood up, her hand began to glow a dark blue before returning back to normal.

Another girl sneaked up behind the older girl and turned her around, "Leave her alone, Kristy."

"Ah, Emily, so good to see you again," Kristy sneered and jerked her arm out of Emily's grasp, "Get lost."

Emily's biotics flared suddenly and, like lightning, quickly slammed Kristy into the wall opposite the table, pinning her against it with ease, "Don't fuck with me, Kristy. Otherwise I'll warp you into a pile of ashes," she threw her across the room, the angry thug deciding to remain lying on the floor than pick a fight with a powerful Biotic. Emily turned and sat down across from Brooke.

"Sorry about that. Some people don't know their place in this Academy. Welcome to Grissom, if you need anything just let me know."

The younger girl smiled and nodded, "Thanks."

"My name is Emily Walker, and you?" the older girl asked as she biotically pulled her tray over to the table and took a bite of her potatoes.

"Brooke, Brooke Richardson," she replied softly.

"Richardson? You mean The Richardsons? The multimillionaires that invented the Omni-tools?"

"Uh, yeah. The very same," she smiled at the recognition.

"Then I'm glad I met you! Mind sparing me a few credits?" she winked and laughed loudly, "I'm just kidding. Anyway, if you haven't already been assigned to a room, I got an open bunk in mine."

Brooke smiled and nodded, "Sounds great!"

Emily laughed in response, "And if Kristy even looks at you funny, tell me and I'll kick her ass."

"I can do that," Brooke winked and shook the older girl's hand.

"Room number 2212, see you there," she laughed and got up, smiling back at the younger girl.

All Brooke could do was smile.

**1600 hours, December 2****nd****, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

Anderson crossed his arms and stared at the makeshift monitor the marines had put together, mainly to have contact with Alliance Command, but more importantly, Shepard.

He watched as the young marine appeared on the screen, wearing his dress blues. Shepard smiled as he saw the older man, "Anderson."

"Shepard, been rumors that you got the Krogan to help the Turians on Palaven. How the hell did you pull that off?" Anderson raised an eyebrow. Krogans and Turians had a extremely violent history since the genophage had been inflicted upon the Krogan a millennium ago.

"It wasn't easy. The Krogan wouldn't agree to anything unless the genophage was cured. Mordin and Maelon had created the cure on the Salarian home world and we released the cure on Tuchanka. Soon after, Wrex convinced the other clans to join the fight on Palaven. General Corinthus tells me that they're helping beyond what we first figured. So now we have the Turians and Krogan on our side… at the expense of the Salarians."

"They'll join the fight soon enough, they can't take on the Reapers alone," Anderson replied, "Nevertheless, good work. You've done the impossible, Commander."

"Thanks, Admiral. I'll call you after we get the Quarians on our side," Anderson nodded and shut off the screen. He turned to see Mason leaning against the tree right next to Anderson, silently eavesdropping with a smile on his face.

"Shepard's certainly doing his job," he said finally.

"More than humanity could've hoped for.

* * *

><p>(<em>Italics is first-person of Mason in his mind<em>, normal is regular third person for Anderson and Brooke)

Brooke smiled as she took a bite out of a hamburger one of the marines had grilled. It had been so long since she had had one she nearly had forgotten the taste. The meat made her mouth water as she savored every bite.

She glanced at Mason happily, who stared into the fire. It was obvious that he was lost in thought so she stayed silent, and enjoyed her burger.

_It was complete, utter darkness; I couldn't see anything beyond my own body. The ground was a freezing cold metal riveted with multiple small steel screws. A low noise reverberated through the floor, sending shock waves through my body. Then, suddenly, a man appeared in front of me. It was Shepard._

"_Mason," Shepard's body said. It didn't sound anything like the Commander; the voice was extremely low with a mechanical chopping sound distorting the voice, much like the Geth but much more bone-chilling._

"_Who are you?" It was the only thing I could think of to say._

"_I am your beginning, and your end," It replied. I couldn't stop staring at Shepard's lips moving in perfect sync with the monotone voice._

"_Your salvation lies within cooperation," It continued, "Or extinguished through defiance."_

_What the hell? I raised an eyebrow and stared at the 'Shepard'._

Anderson sat down next to Brooke and smiled, "Is it good?"

She licked her lips softly, "It's been so long… It's amazing!"

He laughed and glanced at Mason, whose face was filled with confusion, his eyes drifting off into space.

"_What the hell are you?" I asked 'Shepard', raising an eyebrow._

"_I am what you mortals call… a Reaper," It replied unemotionally._

_Reapers. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"_

_The 'Shepard' frowned and a shriek filled the air that pounded against my eardrums. I screamed in agony and fell down onto my knees on the cold floor; the 'Shepard' looked down at me with disgust._

"_Your rebellious nature will be your undoing, human."_

_The shrieking stopped and I collapsed completely onto the floor, holdings my ears in my hands tightly. I breathed in heavily and looked up at the Reaper._

"_Kill me then, I'll NEVER do your bidding," he spat at 'Shepard's' shoes._

"_If you do not cooperate, you will die along with your doomed race," it boomed loudly._

_I struggled as I tried to stand up, finally able to stare right into its face again._

"_We'll see about that."_

"What are we gonna do now, Admiral?" Brooke asked after she had finished her sandwich.

"There have been reports of Reaper forces massing in London, I want to head there and check it out after we get some R&R here," he replied, flicking a knife's blade in and out of the holster.

"London…. Oh my God! Mum!" her face turned pale as thoughts of her mom being indoctrinated or turned into one of those monsters crossed her mind.

"I'm sure she's alright. She _did_ help create the Omni-Tool after all," he smiled and Brooke smiled back. But suddenly her smile disappeared.

She was looking directly at Mason.

Who now held a gun up to his head.


	5. Chapter 5: Nightmares

**Author's Notes: Terribly sorry for the long delay for this chapter (writers' block sucks -_-) And also I'm sorry about it's relative shortness :( but enjoy it anyway :) **

Chapter 5: Nightmares

**1630 hours, December 2nd, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

"NO!" Brooke launched herself towards Mason with Anderson one step behind.

Anderson grabbed the pistol out of Mason's hand before he could pull the trigger. Mason stared at him in pure rage before screaming in pain.

Anderson held Mason down as he tried to club himself with his fists, "What the hell is wrong with you, Mason?"

"REAP-!" He screamed like a madman.

"Reapers…" Brooke breathed almost inaudibly.

"Hold it together Mason," Anderson urged as he helped him back onto his feet, wrapping his arm around the younger man and laid him down on a mattress in a nearby tent.

Brooke pulled out a small syringe from a med-kit and injected a liquid into Mason's bloodstream, "Wha- what… are you… doing…?" He was out like a light. Brooke remained silent, examining Mason for any hint of what could have possibly caused this to happen now. She found nothing.

"What are we going to do?" She asked Anderson quietly.

He didn't answer. He couldn't. They had no idea how to help him, let alone get him to speak coherently when he woke up. Sighing, Anderson stood up and left the tent.

**1650 hours, December 2nd, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

"There's nothing we can really do about it, Ms. Richardson. Indoctrination is still quite a mystery to us."

Brooke sighed, "There is _nothing_ we can possibly do?"

"I'm sorry," Dr. Chakwas replied softly, frowning as she looked at the young women on her workscreen in her med-bay.

"It's okay," Brooke replied softly.

Mason was going to go crazy, and she could do nothing to help him.

"I'll give you a call if I come up with any information that might help with his condition," Chakwas added and ended the call.

Brooke sighed and peered at Mason's tent, quietly entering and sitting down next to his bed. After a moment, she held his hand softly.

"You can beat this, Mason. I know you can."

**1659 hours, December 2nd, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

"_Ah, Mason… at last we meet," A man stood before me. His reddened eyes glowing slightly in the Darkness._

_I could barely keep my composure, "And who the hell are you?"_

"_Oh such harsh language, Mason. If you want to know who I am, just ask nicely."_

_I stared at his glowing eyes, "Okay. Who are you?"_

"_Silly boy," he replied, stepping into the light that apparently was being projected from nowhere, "I am you."_

_I stared at him. The same brown-eyed brunette that I had woken up to all my life was staring right back at me, plus several nasty scars._

_His mouth curved into an evil grin, "Surprised?" he asked, his voice mimicking mine._

"_That's certainly an understatement," I replied, clenching my fists._

_He looked at my fists and his smile grew wider, "Mason, Mason. Are you really going to hurt yourself?"_

"_You aren't me," I replied through gritted teeth, "You are a slave to the Reapers."_

"_As you will be when I'm through with you," his eyes glowed red again, illuminating the darkness around us._

_I crossed my arms, "What makes you think you could possibly turn me against my own people?"_

"_Because I was just like you once, but all who are indoctrinated fall eventually, Mason. Yours will be the most important of them all," he smirked at my response._

_I stopped and stared at my evil self, "Its Anderson isn't it? Without him, humanity falls."_

"_You're forgetting another important detail, Mason. Shepard."_

"_Me? Against Shepard? The Biotic would Warp me to pieces. And he's a hero, I wouldn't even dare hurt him."_

_He smiled once again, "We'll see."_

**1730 hours, December 2nd, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

The heliport was abuzz with activity as Anderson coordinated the soldiers into their Kodiaks. He put on his Alliance cap and smiled when he entered his own shuttle, Brooke following shortly behind.

"Sir, is it a good idea to leave without Mason?" she asked nervously, plopping down into the co-pilot's seat.

"We can do it without him," he replied, turning to look at her, "Don't worry about him, Lt. Johnson is a exceptional medic."

"I know but…" her voice trailed off as she watched Anderson ignite the engine and force the Kodiak off the ground.

"Brooke… concentrate on the mission, Mason will be just fine."

"Fine. Okay," She held up her hands in defeat and turned to the console in front of her.

Back in Central Park, Lt. Alex Johnson sighed and checked up on Mason. He was still out cold. Alex took the rag that he had laid on Mason's forehead and replaced it with a new one, "Come on Lieutenant. Give me a damned sign that you're still alive," there was no response, not even a twitch of a finger. Alex sighed and checked his heart beat, feeling a steady pulse.

Suddenly he freezes as he feels a massive tremor beneath his feet as a loud THUMMMMPH! sound came from outside. Slowly Alex stood up and peered outside. His face turned white as he stared out.

**1748 hours, December 2nd, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

"_You know, I'm getting tired of listening to you," I scowled at my evil self._

"_Get used to it, 'cuz I'm here to stay," he smirked coldly, "Here to listen to your every thought and watch as the Reapers kill every last one of you."_

"_You know if the Reapers kill me, it'll kill you too," I replied, crossing my arms._

_He just laughs, "If they have to kill you, I won't have to try to convert you anymore. So, your argument is invalid."_

_I rolled my eyes._

_He bites his lip, "Um… by the way, there's a Reaper right in front of your tent."_

"_What?" I raised an eyebrow._

"_Never mind," his body disappears and I feel his presence subside as I become aware of my surroundings and open my eyes._

**1800 hours, December 2nd, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

At first, Mason couldn't see a thing, just darkness and a bright light in the shape of a triangle, half cut off by what looks like a silhouette of a human.

He groaned as he sat up, his vision somewhat returning to normal. The human turned around and gasped, staring at the now-awake Lieutenant.

"Mason?" the man asked, his English accent caused Mason to look up at him.

Mason coughed slightly and squinted at the man, "Alex?"

"Yeah," he replied, helping Mason onto his feet, "We need to go."

"What's going on?" Mason replied as he put on his combat boots.

"Look for yourself," he replied and let Mason look out of the tent.

"My God," he gasped. The Reaper stared down at the campsites scattered throughout Central Park.

Suddenly Mason felt his evil self surface, whispering, _"Told you."_

"_Shut up."_

"_Don't hate."_

Mason ignored him and turned to Alex, "Get as many people as you can and let's get out of here."

The younger man nodded and ran off, leaving Mason alone, somewhat.

"_Good luck getting out of this one," _the evil Mason laughed.

"_Fuck you."_

"_You don't have to be rude about it."_

"_Sigh."_


	6. Chapter 6: Into the Hornet's Nest

Chapter 6: Into the Hornet's Nest

**0100 hours local time, December 3rd, 2186, London, European Union, Earth**

"Admiral, there's at least fifteen Reapers massing in the center of London," Brooke spoke up as they approached the city, firelight the only thing illuminating the entire region.

"Anywhere safe to land?" he asked, standing up to take a look at the scans on another console.

"Not really, no," she replied, and paused as a light blinked on her console, "Err…. sir there's a communication coming in from the surface."

"Patch it in," he replied and sat back down, turning his seat to look at the communication screen bolted to the left bulkhead, a man with short black hair appeared on the screen.

"Admiral Anderson?" the man asked, Anderson nodded in response, "I'm Major Coats, helping with leading the resistance here in London. We just picked you up on scanners, looking for a place to land, sir?"

Anderson smiled, "What's your coordinates, Major?"

"We're uploading them to you now," he turned to someone off-screen, "Prepare a space for the Admiral to land."

There was a faint "Yes sir," and Coats turned back to Anderson, "Good luck, Admiral. Can't wait to see you ground side."

"You too, Major," Anderson replied and ended the transmission, turning back to the controls.

"Finally some friendly faces," Brooke added softly.

"British as well. Gonna be a fun day," Anderson smiled and punched in the coordinates into the console.

Several minutes later, Anderson noticed a park somewhat similar to Central Park back in New York, the coordinates resided inside. With a flick of a few buttons, Anderson prepped the shuttle to land in one of the clearings between the trees, near a small encampment.

There was a slight jolt as the shuttle settled itself on the ground and the exit hatch opened, revealing two men in battered Alliance uniforms, one being Major Coats.

Smiling, Coats shook hands with the Admiral and helped Brooke out of the hatch, "Welcome to London."

"Looks like you guys got hit hard," Brooke replied, staring up at the ancient buildings that were crumbling and burning away.

"Harder than anywhere on the planet, sadly," Coats added, he turned to look at the other officer with him, "This is Lieutenant Max Turner, he's helping me coordinate every strike we set up against the metal bastards."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Max added, shaking the Admiral's hand.

"You too," Anderson replied and turned back to Coats, "What's the situation like, Major?"

"We got Reapers on all fronts, Admiral. Not going to lie, it's looks like hell out there."

"I saw on the way in, I'm sorry Major."

"With you here, we'll start mounting up some victories," he replied and escorted the two arrivals to the camps, "Would you like something to eat?"

Brooke smiled, "Please."

Coats laughed and nodded, "Then follow me."

**1810 hours, December 2nd, 2186, New York City, United North American States, Earth**

Explosions. Seems like the only thing Mason hears these days. After dodging dozens of shots from the Reaper and watching what was left of the New York resistance be eradicated, Mason and Alex took shelter inside an old gas station near the docks, praying they won't be discovered.

"_Okay, so we've got away, now what?"_

"_Why are you asking me? You're the one that's lived this already."_

"_Wasn't exactly quite like I remember it."_

Mason frowned and looked up at Alex, who was fast asleep on the counter next to the cash register, for once at peace amidst the chaos.

"_Hey evil Mason."_

"_What?"_

"_What the hell am I going to call you? I can't keep calling you 'evil Mason' forever."_

"_Meh. Call me Luis then."_

"_That works. I guess."_

Mason could only imagine the look his evil self was giving him, he had to cover his mouth to not laugh. A couple of seconds later, he looks up at Alex.

"Alex."

"Hmm.." he rolled over and looked at Mason, "What?"

"Any idea where Anderson went?"

"Uh…they left for London about an hour or so ago. Probably already in London by now, judging by how fast those shuttles are."

"_London is crawling with Reapers by the way, Anderson won't survive. Neither will Brooke."_

"We need to get there, they might be in danger," Mason added, taking in what Luis said.

Alex coughed slightly and groaned as he sat up, his short legs dangling as he sat on the counter, "The nearest shuttle base is a ten minutes walk from here. And, honestly, I doubt it's still there."

"Well, we gotta try, if the Admiral gets ambushed he's gonna need backup," Mason replied.

Alex nodded slowly, "I know," he whispered, "Well, what are we waiting for then?"

Mason smiled and got back onto his feet, taking a quick look outside to make sure there weren't any husks hanging around, "Let's go."

* * *

><p>For the moment, the rubble-strewn streets seemed curiously empty as Mason and Alex cautiously made their way towards the docks, keeping an eye out for any husks, or worse, a Reaper. There were still explosions in the distance but nothing that endangered them. <em>Hopefully it stays that way.<em> Mason thought to himself as he clutched his Avenger assault rifle tightly.

Alex stopped suddenly, his eyes examining the scenery, "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"I heard…" he paused shortly, "Footsteps. We're being followed."

Mason raised an eyebrow and activated his omni-tool, taking a scan of the area, at least fifty husks registered. _Damn it, _"Let's get moving, don't alert them though, I wanna get out of this without a fight."

"Aye, sir."

They slightly quickened their pace, hoping to put some distance between them and their pursuers. At one point, Mason thought he could almost see a Cannibal in the side alleys between the buildings.

"Sir, they're moving faster now," Alex whispered after he checked his own omni-tool.

"Are they still keeping their distance?"

"For now."

"Damn it," Mason replied, "Do you have a radio on you?"

"Yeah."

"Try to get into contact with someone, if there's anyone nearby."

"Got it," He held his hand up to his ear as they continued to move through the rubble.

"This is Lt. Alex Johnson to anyone in upper Manhattan, if you can hear me, please reply."

Static.

"Is anyone out there?"

Still static.

"Lieutenant Johnson, this is Corporal Timothy Morris with the New York Resistance Cell, where are you?"

Alex could barely hide his surprise as his mouth dropped, after a moment, he replied, "We just passed the intersection at East 116th Street and 2nd Avenue, heading for the shuttle yards, we're being trailed by a large regiment of enemy troops, any chance for a way out of here?"

"I got a Mako, I'll be there soon, just hold on!" He severed the comm link.

The husks' footsteps continued to get louder as they weaved through the debris and if it came down to fighting off the Reaper forces, they were utterly outgunned. They were utterly outgunned since the Fall.

"Five of the husks just left the group, they're trying to flank us," Alex whispered.

"Why don't they just attack us already?"

Alex hesitated, "I don't know, sir."

Suddenly, one of the husks came into view, and fired at them. Dropping to the ground, the two men returned fire, blowing the husk's head off.

That was when everything went to hell.

Nearly every husk came out of hiding and started firing at Mason and Alex, spraying the surrounding landscape with super-heated discharges. Mason could feel the heat coming from each shot, singeing his face and hair as they flew past. Through near-blinded eyes, he fired off several shots back to the enemy, hoping that each would find a target. He was lucky so far, and managed to hit several husks.

Alex had it worse, two discharges nearly bored into his shoulder, but luckily just grazed by, leaving only a slight cut on his upper arm. The pain was unbearable either way. He had to fight back tears as the cut began to bleed, and kept firing.

It was a losing battle. More and more husks poured in as the previous ones were killed. They were, once again, completely outgunned.

After a few minutes of exchanging fire, there was a loud roar as something approached. Mason peered over his cover just in time to see a Mako running over a small group of husks, and stopped in between the husks and the two men. The side hatch opened to reveal a short man with black hair with a scar that cut a swath down his cheek.

"Get in!"

They ran and continued to kill as many husks as they could, diving into the Mako and shutting the door behind them.

"Get on the gun!" Timothy yelled from the driver's seat. Mason struggled to move in the cramped space, but he managed to get to the gun's controls, and started firing the machine gun at the husks, occasionally firing the larger cannon.

Alex scrambled into the co-pilot's seat while Timothy revved the engine and blasted forward, squashing several husks before getting out, after they had put some distance between them and the Reaper forces, Timothy stopped the Mako and stood up, shaking Mason's hand.

"Thanks for the assist," Mason said.

"No problem, now let's get out of here."


End file.
